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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

How to Host a Spectacular Birthday Extravaganza

Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!!!

Who the heck am I kidding? I am just one tantrum/forgotten drink/popped balloon/can't-find-the-match-to-light-the-candle, etc. away from a totally IMPERFECT party.

You would think after almost 8 years of hosting birthday parties for the little ones, I'd be a pro by now. And while I have come a long, long, LONG way from that 1st birthday party ever, I still have a LOT to learn.

For instance, I am always scrambling(up until the last second when that first guest rings the doorbell) to clean up(the house, the kids, the dishes, myself). Seriously, TIME MANAGEMENT, Jen...learn it.

I ALWAYS forget something from the store---the candles(or matches FOR the candles), the balloons, the plastic spoons(I have never forgotten plastic forks-YAY ME), the ice cream, the cupcake liners. Granted I don't forget EVERYTHING on this list all the time, but usually one of the above(which has dear hubby heading to the store for me).

I have stolen learned some tricks over the years(with the help of my grandma-the ULTIMATE hostess, and my future sister-in-law, Sarah).

One good tip is to make "ice cream balls" ahead of time. This consists of taking cupcake liners, putting scoops of ice cream in them and putting them in the freezer. Take out at cake time for guests to help themselves. (My grandma does this all the time, but I JUST remembered this handy trick on Sunday-Kate's 1st birthday party).

These WERE beautifully shaped balls fashioned from an ice cream scoop. This is the melted version I just snapped a photo of for blogging purposes.

Another time saver (and to add a fancy flair), is to wrap your plastic forks/knives/spoons in the party napkins(that match your cups/plates/birthday banner) and tie a ribbon around it. The guests just grab one and you're done! (This tip I learned from my future sister-in-law. She throws a mean baby shower, and by mean I mean perfect/gorgeous/delicious food/fresh flowers/perfect decorations/lovely smelling bathroom-you get the picture).

ALWAYS let the kids pick what kind of cake to bake. It is THEIR birthday after all. Stay up late, get up early, search high and low for that hard-to-find cartoon character that they HAVE to have(it really is worth it in the end, when you see their face light up because for this ONE day, everything was JUST FOR THEM).

I have done almost every character imaginable, from Spongebob to Scooby Doo, Hello Kitty, and Blues Clues, I have made a tractor, and a baseball field, something to do with Star Wars, princesses, Barbies, ladybugs, and more. You can find almost everything on the internet with how-to instructions for it all.